This invention relates to electrostatographic reproducing apparatus and more particularly to a two cycle automatically operated compact copier structure. The electrostatic reproduction art has grown from the very early commercial models which included the early multi unit flat plate equipment available from Xerox Corporation which used separate charging, exposure, developing and fusing units to the Xerox 9200 family of products which is fully automated highly high speed complicated reproducing apparatus with sophisticated exposure document handling as well as copy sheet handling apparatus. Most of the commercial reproducing apparatus commonly in use today use a photoconductive insulating member which is typically charged to a uniform potential, thereafter exposed to a light image of an original to be reproduced. The exposure discharges the photoconductive insulating surface in exposed or background areas and creates an electrostatic latent image on the member which corresponds to image areas contained within the original document. Subsequent to the formation of the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive insulating surface, it is made visible with a developing powder referred to in the art as toner. During development the toner particles are attracted to the image areas on the photoconductive insulating area to form a powder image thereon. This image is subsequently transferred to a support surface such as copy to which it may be permanently affixed by heating or the application of pressure. Following the transfer of the toner image to the support surface the photoconductive insulating layer is cleaned of residual toner to prepare it for the next imaging cycle.
While there has been ever increasing desire for an increased degree of sophistication and capability with regard to such automatic reproducing equipment there continues to remain a need in the low volume, slower, smaller apparatus part of the marketplace. This is particularly necessary to supply small businesses and individuals with a capability to reproduce original documents in a slower manner and at reduced costs. This particular segment of the reprographics market is particularly price sensitive. To satisfy this market, there is a continual need to reduce the selling and manufacturing costs. As a corollary, there is a continual desire by the manufactures within this area of the market to provide a smaller box with fewer parts in the total reproducing apparatus. In addition, there is continuing drive in this area of the market to provide portable, lightweight, compact, highly reliable, low cost machines.
Furthermore, even the simplest devices available on the market which automatically feed the documents and copy papers require complicated feed mechanisms including sophisticated clutches and logic assemblies, cam banks, timers, and other mechanical components, all of which require at least initial if not continual adjustment in order to operate satisfactorily. This dramatically increases the cost from the standpoint of both parts costs as well as assembly costs and initial set up and adjustment.